Page 20 of Mafia Baby

Setting my mouth in a determined line, I go back upstairs to get dressed. There’s only one way to know if I’ve made the biggest mistake of my life.

***

I stare at the stick I’m holding in my hands, wanting to refute the damning evidence. But it matches the three other tests that I just took.

They all say that I’m pregnant, loud and clear. I hang my head and lean on the counter in my bathroom. What am I going to tell my mother? What am I going to tell Dom?

I realize that I have no idea how to navigate this mess I’ve gotten myself into. I know my options. I could end the pregnancy and no one would be the wiser.

I press my hands flat against my belly, contemplating what my life will be like if I keep this baby. I think of Dom’s beautiful face, his kindness toward me when I needed help, and his intelligence.

A baby that we shared would be smart, and beautiful and we could make sure that it was also kind.

But he’s The Reaper.

He’s a hitman.

He can’t help me raise a baby. I feel a tear slip down my cheek as I acknowledge that there is no way that I am not going to have this baby.

I can already feel it’s tiny little presence, hovering by my heart, warming me. I have felt alone for all of my life, but now, in this moment, I don’t feel lonely.

I’ve been looking for meaning in my life, and this baby will offer me the anchor that I need to feel like my life has a purpose.

I stand up straight and sweep the tests into the back of a drawer in my bathroom.

I don’t know how I’m going to manage a baby and trying to get my own life in order, but I’m not going to miss out on being a mother, no matter what anyone else says.

***

“Gianna, you don’t have a choice with this one. If you want to get involved with helping those troubled teens, you need to show up to this gala. This family is the one pumping money into that program.” My mother is talking to me as she walks on her treadmill, and it’s distracting.

“It’s just…I feel like I’ve had about all the fancy parties I can take, Mom. I understand that this is an important one, but if Will goes and excuses me for being sick…”

“You’re not sick.” My mother is barely listening to me.

I open my mouth to blurt out the truth but shut it. I just have no idea how to tell my mother that I have been sick. Every morning. Because I’m pregnant.

I shrug, and my mother rolls her eyes.

“This conversation is over, Gianna. Tomorrow at three.”

I sigh and give up. There is often no point in fighting with my mother because she always gets her own way. Sometimes, I just put up a fight for the adrenaline rush.

At three o’clock the next day, I’m ready to attend this gala with my brother as my plus one.

He’s going to try to convince the host to buy a property that William and my father have for sale. It’s worth the same amount as ten normal houses, and this might be the only man in our town who can afford to buy it.

We arrive at the party along with a huge crowd, so we slip in unnoticed. I love it, but my brother is annoyed.

He tells me he’s going to find the host, and I let him know that I’ll probably be down at the stables.

This house is a mansion. Much bigger than my parents’ home. There are stables at the back of the garden, a greenhouse, and three stories inside the home.

This place could hold three weddings at the same time, and the parties would never bump into each other.

I don’t make it out to the horses, though, because Dominic is standing in one of the doorways to the courtyard.

Seeing him here astounds me. Why are we crossing paths so often all of a sudden?

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